Voting runs through October 31 on LPGA.com and LPGA’s official Facebook page
Highlights of this year’s Kia Most Compelling Performance nominees >>
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA., October 1, 2013 – Kia Motors America and the LPGA Tour are calling on fans once again to cast their vote for this year’s Kia Most Compelling Performance Award. Beginning today, fans will have the opportunity to vote on LPGA.com and the LPGA’s official Facebook page for the player with the most compelling performance so far this season. Players were nominated for their performances each month from February through September. Yani Tseng, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Jennifer Johnson, Beatriz Recari, Caroline Hedwall and Suzann Pettersen are all up for the honor.
Voting begins at noon ET and it will end at midnight ET on October 31. Fans can cast their vote here or the LPGA’s official Facebook page where a video featuring each of the top performances will be showcased. Fans can vote once per day.
The following seven players are up for this year’s Kia Most Compelling Performance Award:
Yani Tseng
The 15-time LPGA Tour winner earned her nomination after a final-round surge at the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand in February. The two-time defending champion tied the tournament record with a 9-under 63 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third at 10-under-par. The Taiwan native fell just two strokes shy of completing a three-peat at the Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
Stacy Lewis
With back-to-back victories at the HSBC Women’s Champions and the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, Lewis took over the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings and unseated Yani Tseng from the spot which she held for 109 consecutive weeks. Lewis earned her first victory of the 2013 season in Singapore after defeating Na Yeon Choi by one stroke. At the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, Lewis overcame a two-shot penalty she incurred during the third round by shooting a final-round 64 to win by three strokes over Ai Miyazato. Her win in Phoenix vaulted Lewis into the top spot in the Rolex Rankings, making her just the second American since Cristie Kerr in 2010 to join the elite club.
Inbee Park
Park’s dominant performance during the 2013 season earned her two nominations for the Kia Most Compelling Performance Award, as she delivered memorable performances in both April and June. Park claimed her second LPGA major championship win at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in early April, took over the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings a week later and went on to win the inaugural North Texas LPGA Shootout at the end of the month. She then etched her name in the history books in June when she added two additional major championship wins at the Wegmans LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open to her résumé, becoming just the second player in LPGA history to win the first three majors in a season.
Jennifer Johnson
The 21-year-old American became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic after firing rounds of 67-70-65-65 to break the tournament record with a 21-under-par 267 total. She finished one stroke ahead of Pornanong Phatlum and Jessica Korda with a group of five players finishing in a tie for fourth at 19-under-par including LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb, 11-time LPGA Tour winner Jiyai Shin, amateur Ariya Juatnugarn, and four-year member Chella Choi and Anna Nordqvist.
Beatriz Recari
Recari earned the third LPGA Tour win of her four-year career at the Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning & O-I. The 26-year-old Spaniard shot rounds of 69-65-67-66 to take a one-shot victory over nine-time LPGA winner Paula Creamer. Recari’s triumph in Toledo was her second win of the 2013 season after she clinched a playoff victory against I.K. Kim at the Kia Classic in March. It also marked the first time since joining the LPGA Tour in 2010 that she earned two wins in a single season. Recari’s victory in Toledo came after she saw her streak of 46 consecutive starts without a missed cut come to an end at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Caroline Hedwall
Hedwall rewrote the Solheim Cup record books in Parker, Colorado in August when she became the first player in the event’s 13-year history to go 5-0 in competition. The Swede’s historic performance helped her European squad win the biennial event for the first time on U.S. soil. The 24-year-old, who was playing in her second Solheim Cup, improved her overall record to 7-1-1. During Sunday’s singles matches, Hedwall sank an eight-foot biridie putt to give the Europeans their 14th point, which allowed them to retainin the Cup, and helped the squad achieve the largest margin of victory in the event’s history as they captured an 18-10 win.
Suzann Pettersen
The 32-year-old Norwegian became the first-ever winner of the LPGA’s fifth major, The Evian Championship, in September. It was the second major victory of Pettersen’s career and first since the 2007 LPGA Championship. Two weeks earlier, the Norwegian won in Portland for the second time in her career with a two-stroke victory at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. Pettersen took over the No. 2 spot in the Rolex Rankings following her 12th and 13th career victories, tying the highest position that she’s held in the world rankings.
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